Sepulchral
by Texas Variety Katie-Bug
Summary: "The ghost will take the boy she likes the most… the one that reminds her of her former love. She jumped off the school and killed herself. They say she haunts the school looking for revenge." Then the message appeared. "Adrien Agreste is Next." Happy Halloween.
1. Prologue

Prologue

She looked around the shelf hugging a variety of books close to her chest, trying get a better look at the boy who she desperately loved. He sat there in his beautiful blonde glory, pale blue eyes reflecting in the dim light of the library. "This is it," she breathed in and made her way over to him, being careful with each step she took, trying to get closer to the one she admired. "Ex-excuse me, Felix. Is this seat taken?" Her heart beat in her chest rapidly as she looked at the subject of her affections.

He gave a small shrug in response. "Guess not. Go ahead, Bridgette."

She could feel the blood rush to her face, "That's not- never mind." She glanced at the book he was engrossed with. "What are you reading?"

He continued to hold the book with his left hand and started rubbing his temple with his right. "It's a biography of Warren Harding. He was the President of the United States of America in the early twenties, regarded as one of, if not the worst President. He died in office, possibly poisoned by his wife." He looked at the girl sitting next to him. "Did you need something?"

The girl shook her head. "I was just hoping to study. I've got some math to do, I'm dreadful at it." She smiled at him, ignoring the unamused look he was giving her. "Actually, you're good at math, right? Do-do you think you could help me?"

He sighed and looked her over. He wasn't really losing anything by helping her. He had no events in the upcoming future. He could possibly put this tutoring session on a resume. "Sure. I'm busy at the moment. I'll let you know when are where to meet at a later time."

She gave him a huge, blinding smile. "Thank you so much!"

She ran home after that to immediately tell her mother, father and sister that Felix, the love of her life, was going to help her study math. If it were anyone else this wouldn't have been a big deal, going to study and get tutoring, but Felix was notorious for turning down requests if he was inconvenienced. The only logical conclusion the girl could come up with was Felix wanted to spend time with her.

The next day when she went to her locker she saw the note from him. "Meet me at the garden on the roof immediately after school. Felix."

Blood rushed to her face. The rooftop garden at the school was the most romantic place on campus. Many students went to the top single and came back down a couple. It was how many of her friends had gotten together with their boyfriends. This was happening. She couldn't help but feel nervous as she made her way up to the roof.

Felix wasn't there to greet her, though. "Excuse me, are you the girl who was supposed to meet Felix?" A small girl with blonde hair and green eyes greeted her, arms crossed over her chest, seemingly annoyed that she had to come here.

"Um, yes. Can I help you?"

She nodded. "Yeah. He changed his mind. He doesn't want to spend his day tutoring you." She smirked. "There's better things he could be doing. He's the top student in his class, a model, star of the fencing team. Between you and me, why would he want someone like you when he could have anyone he wanted?"

She hung her head looking down at her shoes. "W-why did he suddenly change his mind? Or ask me to meet up here?"

The girl smirked. "Really? He asked you up here because it was the furthest place from the door. He could leave without worrying about you following him." The blonde girl rolled her shoulders back. "He said you're an annoying, ugly, talentless, good-for-nothing, clumsy little wannabe who he pities because, and I'm quoting him directly here, she'll never be good enough for anything in life."

Tears started rolling down the girl's cheeks and she felt her knees go weak, causing her to collapse to the ground. "Why would he tell you this?" her voice was weak, trying to wrap her mind mind around what the girl had said. Had Felix really called her annoying? Was she ugly? Talentless? She knew she was clumsy, but good-for-nothing? Her heart was shattering right there. "Why?"

"Why?" The girl crouched down so she was eye level with the dark haired girl. "Honey, I'm his sister. Surely you couldn't have been so self-absorbed? Did you not realize he had one? Your ego must be bigger than I thought." With that the beautiful green eyed girl got up and walked away, flipping her pale gold hair over her shoulder as she sauntered off, perfect hips swinging as she did so. The dark haired girl was so busy crying she didn't hear the exchange take place in the shadows behind her.

"Do you think she bought it?"

"Oh yeah. She's not going to recover from that in this lifetime." The blonde girl was passed a twenty dollar bill from her benefactor and walked away.

The tears wouldn't stop falling. How could someone she cared so deeply about think those things? How could she not realize he had a sister? She thought she knew everything about him. Was she really so self-centered? "I'm a total narcissist. I'm horrible." The girl walked over to the edge of the building and sat down on the ledge, attempting to get a sense of relief by watching the people below go about their daily lives, but the couples holding hands, whispering sweet nothings in one another's ears did nothing to calm her. They just made her feel more desperate.

She looked down below. She could just fall and no one would know the difference. Would anyone really miss her if she were to suddenly vanish one day? Somehow, she was doubtful. Her mother, father and sister might miss her, but they would get past it. Still, there was this urge inside of her to fight, to keep on going. Things would get better... maybe. She was so confused. She didn't know what she wanted.

An hour or so later a body was discovered at the school, broken and bruised. Felix was the one that found her, concern on his usually stoic face. "That's Bridgette, isn't it?" It was tragic. He was on his way home to call her.

* * *

 _I've been planning a countdown to Halloween story for the 13 Days of Halloween, but today is Friday the 13th and I couldn't resist! So the first official chapter of this story will come on on October 19th and a chapter will be posted everyday until the 31st! (Assuming there are no unforeseen interruptions.) I hope y'all enjoyed the prologue though! Leave a review and tell me what y'all thought, and I'll see y'all the 19th of October!_


	2. Chapter One

Chapter One

A quiet, slightly chilly but otherwise normal October day could have sunk into the back of everyone's minds, melting together like the other insignificant days of the year, had Alix not opened her mouth. The moment the teacher left the room to make copies and refill her coffee the students began to converse with one another, a wicked smile appeared on Alix's face, a mischievous glint in her eyes. She spoke up to address the class. "So, have you guys heard the story of the ghost that haunts this school?" The forgetfulness that would have otherwise possessed the day evaporated in that moment, for whether one believed in ghosts or not, there would always be something nagging the back of their mind.

"Please, there's no such thing as ghosts," Chloe smirked, glancing at the small girl, but went and joined the rest of the class to hear the legend.

Marinette let out a breath and looked at the empty seat next to her. Desperately she wished Alya was here, giving her some sense of sanity. She had never been a fan of ghost stories, but seeing Adrien's intrigue at the subject she decided to follow suit, giving him a small smile as she joined the rest of her peers, him moving over slightly to give her room to stand, returning her smile with one of his own. Marinette felt like she could melt.

"So this story isn't just a legend. My dad actually went here when this happened." Alix looked around at her classmates, smiling as Rose and Mylene were already clinging to Juleka and Ivan respectively. "There was this girl who went here and fell in love with a guy. Like she was obsessed with him. He consumed her every thought, there were doodles of hearts all over her notebook, she would put her first name with his last name, you know, typical girly shit. Well, one day she asked him out for a study date and he agreed, initially, but my dad said he heard he changed his mind and turned her down. She was heartbroken and threw herself off the roof. There used to be unrestricted access to the school roof, there was a garden and everything, but after she killed herself the school closed it off."

"So a girl jumps off a building and the school closes the roof, big deal." Chloe pulled out her makeup bag and started applying a layer of lip gloss to her too shiny, slightly sticky, lips, giving Adrien a glance as she did so.

"I- I don't know. That sounds really tragic. She must have really loved him if she was so heartbroken she killed herself." Rose was starting to pale in color, only being reassured by the small circles her friend rubbed between her shoulder blades in an attempt to calm her.

"Well, after the jumped off they buried her in a really fancy cemetery, but her soul never left. It's said her ghost still haunts the school." Alix looked at the guys in turn, "After she died she decided she was going to get her love, one way or another. The guy graduated and went off to some fancy college and got married, but that hasn't stopped her. Each year she chooses a guy and leads him to the roof of the school and tries to push them off so they'll stay with her. My brother said she chose one of his friends when he went here. The only reason he wasn't pushed off was because my brother snapped him out of it and dragged him off the roof and brought him downstairs." Alix gave each of the guys a once over. Ivan was too devoted to Mylene to be dragged away by some wandering spirit. Max was too smart to let some legend drag him away. Kim was too dumb, and had a secret fear of heights. He wasn't going to find himself on the roof anytime soon. Nathanel, Adrien and Nino, though... single males in the class with no formal attachments to anyone. Just fleeting crushes. Each smart in their own way but nice enough to fall for a ghost girl's act. "I wonder who she's going to choose from our class?"

When class ended Marinette watched everyone as she gathered her belongings, the ghost story playing on repeat in her mind. Why did he change his mind? What happened in those moments that caused him to abandon his commitments to her? She let out a sigh. It wasn't fair that the girl had to wander the halls of the school for eternity, lonely, just because she suffered from a broken heart. Was he able to sleep at night? Did he know he was the reason she died? Her thoughts fell away from her when she felt a tap on her shoulder. The classroom was empty except for her and the person who tapped her. "Hey, Marinette. You were quiet during the story today. Did it scare you?"

She shook her head rapidly. "M-me? Scared? N-no. I wasn't scared. I mean you were there after all. I could never be scared where you're here. I- I mean you make me feel safe, not that I need you to be with me all the time- is it hot in here to you?"

He gave her a confused look, trying to piece together what the girl had said before shaking his head and choosing to focus on the words he could strong together. "Actually, it's a bit cool in here." He wrapped his favorite blue scarf around his neck and smiled at her. "Well, if you find yourself afraid of ghosts you can alway come to me."

She couldn't stop herself from looking at him, dumbstruck. "Why?"

"Why?" He picked up her notebooks and passed them to her. "You're my friend, Mari. I care about you." Something wistful and mystical filled his eyes, causing him to smile. He lifted his hand to nervously rub the back of his head. "May-maybe one day we-" a loud ringing interrupted them. He reached into his pocket quickly, pulling out his phone. "Hello?" he asked, immediately mouthing 'sorry' to his companion right after the greeting. "Alright, got it. I'll meet you there." He hung up his phone and placed it back in his pocket. "Sorry, it was my driver. Do you think we can pick this up later, Marinette?"

She nodded, her face bright red. "S-sure, Adrien. I'll morrow you later! I mean I'll you soon see, uh- Bye!"

He let out a small laugh and left the flustered girl sinking to the floor, a bright smile dancing on her face.

* * *

 _Here it is, the first chapter of our Halloween countdown! I hope y'all like ghost stories because that's what we're serving up this holiday! I can't believe how many of y'all are interested in this, it's incredible! Thank y'all so much to those of you who favorited and followed, and a very special thanks to those of you who reviewed. It really means a lot to me and I try to incorporate any notes I get into future chapters. Since I'm updating this story daily for the next couple weeks chapters will be pretty short… but I hope y'all enjoy them anyway! See y'all tomorrow! :)_


	3. Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Adrien arrived to school keeping an eye out for Marinette, who hadn't seemed to arrive yet, settling into his usual routine with Nino, leaving the car, thanking the driver, giving a fist bump to his friend and make their way to class. "So, did you hear? Apparently the ghost is going to target one of us, or Nathanel." Nino let out a laugh as he spoke to his friend. "This ghost story traveled fast. Everyone seems to be talking about it. Apparently there's a shrine to appease the angry, restless spirit in the girl's bathroom now."

Adrien rolled his eyes. "I'm sure a shrine in the _bathroom_ would be exactly what I wanted if I was an angry ghost."

"Dude, people are going nuts. I saw Kim with a Ouija board. You couldn't pay me enough to mess with one of those things." Nino let out a shiver. "Freaky stuff, man."

"I thought you didn't believe in ghosts?" The two started walking to class, giving Kim a wide berth as he, Max, Alix and Juleka started pulling out the possessed board, Max sputtering on about how it was incredibly unlikely to assume they would actually contact a spirit with the cheap toy, Juleka and Alix ignoring what he was saying as Kim set everything up.

"I believe in ghosts. There's evidence everywhere man. I just don't believe there's one haunting this school," he gave another pointed glare at the group. "Well, not yet anyway." He turned his attention back to Adrien. "Like, I know for a fact a girl died here. I did some research last night, but I don't see why she would possess the school. If she wanted to get revenge then she would have attached herself to one of the guy's textbooks or something and sought revenge that way. If he moved on and got married then he's doing fine. No possessions and nothing to worry about."

"That makes sense, I guess. I think the idea of ghosts is cool, but I don't believe in them. How does someone's soul get trapped between the world of the living and dead? It just doesn't make sense to me." He let his mind wander to Marinette wondering what she thought on the subject. She didn't seem to be too interested in the ghost story and was sympathetic towards the dead girl.

Nino shrugged. "I you could be right," he said, before suddenly turning towards Adrien with his hands in the air, fingers frozen in a claw grip, tongue sticking out, making possibly the most stupid face he could manage, "or you could be dead wrong!"

"Are you trying to imitate Jagged Stone or something?" Nino put his arms down in defeat. "Sorry man, you're not scary."

"Oh well." He rubbed his chin with his hand, a slightly embarrassed look crossing his features, a bit of red tinging his cheeks. "I, uh, think I got some drool on my chin. I'm going to wash up. I'll meet you in class." Nino turned and ran off to the nearest restroom, leaving Adrien to walk to class himself, until he spotted Mainette standing along in the hallway.

"Hey, Marinette!" She turned on her heel and started to fall forward, letting out a small squeal, Adrien catching her his arms. "Are you alright?"

She nodded, her face akin to that of a tomato. "Y-yeah. I'm just fine."

"Did you hear about the shrine in the girl's bathroom?"

Her response was a roll of the eyes and crossing of her arms. "I don't get it. It's tacky. It's a bunch of unlit candles with a bunch of upside down crosses. I think they're getting ghosts and demons confused. I saw Kim with a Ouija board earlier. What does he think he's going to do with that thing?"

"Talk to ghosts, I guess?"

"Well, I'm sure there's a much easier way to do that."

Adrien didn't understand why Marinette looked so angry about the shrine, guessing she was more freaked out than she initially let on. "Hey, Mari, even if a ghost does come I'd do my best to protect you. I wouldn't let anyone, ghost or otherwise, hurt you."

She gave him a soft smile. "Thank you. I heard you were one of the people in danger of being haunted, though. What would a ghost want with me?"

"A cute, nice girl like you? I don't think a ghost could keep themselves away."

Marinette turned into a stuttering mess, once again wishing Alya was with her, able to help her navigate her way through the conversation. Adrien had called her cute and nice! She felt like she could melt. She was about to when her saving grace appeared in a blue t-shirt and red baseball cap. "You ready to go in, dude?"

Adrien nodded. "Yeah, let's go," he said, leading the three of them into class. They took their usual seats and waited for the class to trickle in, Kim grumbling about how is Ouija board didn't work, Max wearing a smug grin.

Class went by rather quickly. The students were learning about Newton's Laws for the fifth day in a row, a subject Adrien understood quite well. Distracted he turned and looked at the seat behind him, watching Marinette absorb the lesson. Maybe he should offer to tutor her in physics. He knew she didn't understand the subject as well as he did. Maybe she could help him in literature. He loved reading the books but analyzing the story for all the details was something he wasn't good at. "Adrien, eyes forward, unless there's something you want to share with the class."

He shook his head. "No, ma'am."

Class continued throughout the day, Adrien noticing the girls each excusing themselves to the bathroom at some point during the day, each slipping a note into their pocket, armed with a crucifix and a water bottle with the word "Holy" written in bubbly letters with red sharpie. Marienette was right. They did seem to be getting demons and ghosts confused.

And it didn't seem to stop the ghost. When Rose dismissed herself to go to the restroom a scream could be heard through the halls. The class ran out, ignoring the teacher's request to stay in their seat. Everyone froze. Blood covered the wall, words definitely declaring "Adrien Agreste is Next."

* * *

 _Guys, y'all are so incredible! I really hope y'all enjoyed this chapter. It was a lot of fun to write. Thank you so much to those of you who followed and favorited, and a special thanks to those of you who reviewed! I really do try to use the notes given to me. If you have any questions feel free to ask! I'll answer what I can without giving away spoilers. Since "Do you believe in ghosts" came up a lot in this chapter I decided to open a poll on my profile. Go vote! I'll let y'all know the results on Halloween. Should be fun. With that, I'll see y'all tomorrow!_


	4. Chapter Three

Chapter Three

She had wanted to tell him how she felt at school, but she hadn't found the opportunity. She would lose her nerve, dissolving into a stuttering mess, or something would come up, driving him away from her before she could say anything. The one time she had steeled her nerves they had to go to class, taking him away from her, losing her opportunity to admit how she felt. She sat at her desk, sketch book open, head banging against her desk. "What do I do?" A scratch at her door pulled her away from her thoughts, causing her to leave her chair and go open the door, her black and white dalmatian sitting patiently at the door. "Hey, Tikki," she muttered, letting in her companion, who made herself at home on Marinette's chaise. Marinette rolled her chair so she sat facing her spotted companion who just looked at her with bright blue eyes. She sighed and buried her head into the dog's fur, receiving the occasional affectionate lick from the dog, not quite understanding her owner's hysterics. "I'm such a big doofasaurus around him!" She leaned back and slumped into her chair, eventually sliding out into a dramatic pile of anxiety onto the floor. "How do you think I should admit my feelings to him, Tikki?"

She looked around her room, trying to come up with ideas, her eyes first landing on a calendar with his daily activities marked. She had his schedule memorized. She could always accidentally bump into him, but she never knew when his friends would be accompanying him. She wanted to talk to him alone. She could slip a note into his bag and be a secret admirer, but there was always the chance someone else could take credit for the words she wrote. "Ugh, why is this so difficult!" She wanted to pull her hair out. Her eyes landed on her textbooks, remembering she had homework to do, easily getting through the history and literature lessons, wishing there was less math and science to do. She absolutely hated those subjects. Why would she ever need to know how to calculate the hypotenuse of a triangle in her daily life? She was going to design clothes, become the best designer. If she really needed math she would be able to hire someone to do it for her. _Someone to do it for her._ An idea sprung into Marinette's head. "What if I ask him to help me study, Tikki? It's not like you can help me at math."

Somehow the dog had the audacity to look insulted, turning her head away and placing her head on her front paws. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry, Tikki. It's true, though. You can't even count how many spots you have." She gave the dog an affectionate rub behind the ears and went back to studying, attempting the equations once again, taking a break every so often to sketch in her notebook listening to her favorite soft rock albums, not wanting to get too intense because that would just distract her. She made an oath to herself. Next time they had math or science homework she would ask for his help. They could then go on a date, fall in love, get married, move in together, have three kids, Hugo, Emma and Louis, preferably in that order, but she wasn't picky, watching them grow up and sending them off to university before they had grandkids of their own and retired together, spending their days watching the Parisian sunsets until they died and were at eternal peace. She just had to get past the first step of asking him on a date.

Was it too soon to ask him out? Maybe she should wait a week. No. She was going to do this no matter what. She'd have to deal with the rivals in her class also vying for his attention, Lila and a certain blonde coming to mind. Deep breath. "Tikki, sit there. Look handsome and perfect." Tikki just let out a low groaning sound and turned her head towards her master. "Close enough, I guess." It wasn't like Alya was here right now to practice on. She grabbed her physics book, knowing one of his best subjects was physics, and showed it to Tikki. "Hey, do you think you could help me out with my science homework? You're so much better at it than I am." She let out a breath and smiled. "Good," she said, going to grab one of the pictures she had hanging of him on her wall, propping it up against her faithful companion, "now for the hard part." It took Marinette several attempts to ask the picture on the date but she was eventually successful, as well as exhausted and ready for bed. She let out a sigh and changed into her pajamas, noting the darkness in the sky, climbing up to her bed and falling asleep.

She overslept the next morning, which wasn't unusual for her. She ran out of bed as quickly as she could manage, changing, putting her hair into it's signature twin tails, going through her morning routine and changing into clothes as quickly as humanly possible, getting to school with just a few minutes to spare. She opened her bag once getting to class and let out a sigh of relief. She wasn't late. One more tardy and she would be given detention. She took her usual seat behind the beautiful, blonde, Apollo-like, object of her affections and started rifling through her stuff, grabbing her Shakespearian Literature textbook, noticing a piece of paper fall to the ground.

 _Marinette Dupain-Cheng_

 _Stay away from him. He's mine._

 _Unless you want to die._

There was no signature. Marinette looked around, trying to figure out when someone could have slipped the note into her bag. She glanced around the class, seeing everyone in their usual spots going about their usual lives. The spot next to Marinette continued to remain empty. She wished Alya would get back from her trip to London and keep her company. She needed a distraction from the glare Lila was giving her. It would have been nice to talk to the note with someone as well. She crumpled it up and threw it in the trash. She didn't believe anyone or anything would actually be capable of killing her. It was just a stupid prank.

* * *

 _Day three, yay! Things are starting to get interesting, or, at least I hope they are. I do feel like I need to point something out. A guest review was mentioning akuma's and the chat noir suit, neither of which will be making an appearance in this story! This is a slight AU. Sorry for not mentioning that earlier! I wouldn't usually address a review publicly, but I thought this one should be mentioned. Thank you all so much for favoriting and following, and a special thanks to those of you who review! I take all the reviews I get and use them to *hopefully* create a better story and reading experience for y'all! Don't forget to go vote on my poll! I'm curious to see how many of you believe in ghosts! If you don't have an account or are using a mobile device feel free to tell me if you believe or not in a review and I'll tally that into the total on Halloween! I'll see y'all tomorrow!_


	5. Chapter Four

**_Important Author's Note!_**

 _Sorry guys! I hate leaving author notes at the beginning of my stories but this one is really important! There was a glitch in my update yesterday and the email notifying y'all about the update didn't go out, so if you didn't see yesterday's_ _chapter know that it is up! I didn't skip a day, but y'all might want to go back and make sure you read yesterday's chapter before reading this one!_

* * *

Chapter Four

Adrien got out of bed and checked his phone, receiving a barrage of text messages from various classmates, all of them telling him something about the so called bloodied wall from the day before. Many of his classmates told him not to come to school for a while, that his safety should come first. He ignored most of these texts, only responding to Rose to tell her she should stay home for the day seeing as she fainted the day before after seeing the wall. The rest of the texts were either from Chloe proclaiming her love for him and that she wouldn't let a stupid ghost come between her and her "Adrikins" -internally cringing at the nickname- or from classmates telling him that he should get together with the ghost, all of them joking. He only responded to Nino who was a part of the latter category, telling him that he would, in fact, be in class today. He had spent too long trying to convince his dad to let him go to school. He wasn't going to let a stupid, and frankly, mildly sick joke prevent him from attending.

His father had been told about the events from the day before (a rather lengthy phone call was made by the school to tell Gabriel about the threat upon his son) but seeing as the "blood" had turned out to be a combination of chocolate syrup, red food dye and laundry detergent splattered on the wall they weren't concerned. He was sure if a ghost really wanted to kill him they wouldn't spell it out right in front of him, or go to the effort of making fake blood. If anything, this proved to him a ghost wasn't out for his soul.

He went through his morning routine quickly enough, putting down his phone once he had woken up a bit, getting in the shower, brushing his teeth, putting on whatever clothes he was told to wear that day, then feeding his grumpy, gluttonous black cat, Plagg, before going downstairs to enjoy breakfast, getting into the car driven by his bodyguard and arriving on his school's campus where Nino was waiting for him.

"Hey Sam!" the enthusiastic boy came over and gave him a fist bump, a large smile on his face.

Adrien looked at him confused, trying to figure out what was up with the sudden name change. "Sam?"

"Well my mom was watching some movie last night, Ghost. It had that American actor Patrick Swayze in it and he played a ghost. I thought it was appropriate since you're being stalked by one. And I know you're into those cheesy American romance classics. I've seen your movie collection."

Adrien didn't want to admit he was, in fact, more than a little familiar with the movie and decided to change the subject with an eye roll. "Sam is the best you can come up with? Really? You're losing your touch, Nino."

"Well excuse me for trying to get on your level. Why don't you try watching an actual movie once? Go on a date to the theater and not watch anime or foreign cinema." Nino's suggestion suddenly made Adrien smile as the thought of a certain raven haired beauty crossed his mind. He could imagine picking her up for a date, holding her hand during a horror movie, letting herself burrow into his shoulder to hide from the scenes portrayed on the big screen, letting him protect her... "You got someone in mind dude?"

He gave a small shrug and looked longingly to the corner of the school she would emerge from moments before they had to go in. She wouldn't be here for a while. She wouldn't see the goofy grin and the light blush that crossed his cheeks when he thought of her. "I might."

He wondered what she thought of the prank yesterday. Was she aware that it wasn't blood dripping from the walls like Rose and the rest of the class had initially thought? He hadn't seen a text from her this morning inquiring on his mental state even though everyone else had sent him one.

A pair of arms wrapping themselves around his back distracted him, pulling him away from his wanderings. "Adrikins!" He let out a small sigh and turned around, giving Nino an apologetic glance as he did so. "Hey, Chloe."

"I'm surprised to see you here! I mean, I knew a silly little ghost couldn't come between us but I thought you'd at least take advantage of having an excused day off! I mean the principal even told you that you wouldn't have to come in today so they could look for the culprit."

He gave a small smirk, an idea suddenly crossing his mind. He gave Nino a glance, catching the attention of his best friend, letting him know to get in on this. "What do you mean, Chloe? I thought it was a ghost that was after me. How would they be able to catch someone like that?"

The pale blonde girl seemed at a loss for a moment. "I thought you didn't believe in ghosts!"

"I never said I didn't believe in ghosts! I just didn't believe there was one haunting our school until yesterday. It's fascinating. Nino and I were just discussing how to get in contact with it, weren't we?" He looked over to his friend who livened up at the idea of scaring Chloe.

"Oh yeah. We think a blood sacrifice should do the trick. We're going to catch a bunch of rats from the sewers, you know, and sacrifice them here at midnight. We should only need to trudge in the sewage for an hour or so until we find enough. We're thinking thirteen should do the trick?" Leave it to Adrien to come up with an idea like that, and leave it to Nino to elevate it to the next level.

Adrien nodded. "Yeah, thirteen should be fine. We're going to hit up the sewers right after school so we can get everything ready for tonight." He gave Chloe the most innocent smile he could manage to make, "Want to join us?"

The look on her face was a mix of shock, horror and disgust. "No! If you two want to summon some stupid ghost be my guest, but I'm not going anywhere near the sewers, and there's no way I'm going to let rat blood get anywhere near me. Gross!"

She stormed off to where Sabrina stood waiting ever patiently and the two boys burst into laughter. "I can't believe she bought that, dude! Like your dad would ever let you do anything like that!"

Tears started forming in the corners of each of their eyes and classmates stared, not knowing why the two boys were doubled over. Adrien only stopped laughing when he spotted a certain black haired blue eyes beauty running across the courtyard. "Come on, Nino. We're going to be late for class."

* * *

 _Thank you so much to those of you who favorited and followed, you guys are incredible! A very special thanks to those of you who reviewed as well. I read everyone of them and use the feedback to see what y'all like and don't like about the story. This chapter was a bit more lighthearted but the horror will come, I promise. I have my Spooky Stories candle lit and everything (no joke! It'c campfire, dry leaves_ _and cocoa scented! Got it off Etsy). I really want to say thank you to Miraculous26 who helped me figure out about the glitch yesterday. See y'all tomorrow!_


	6. Chapter Five

Chapter Five

School was boring today so she did nothing but think about how to confess her feelings. She decided it would be after school, in the courtyard. She would sit next to him while he was waiting to be picked up. Perhaps he would be reading a book. Hopefully no one would be around. She wished Alya was here for a pep talk, but she called her during lunch. The girl gave her full support to her friend and after school Marinette gathered what courage she could, marched over to him, sat down, took a breath, and when he looked at her with those mesmerizing eyes that looked so smart and thoughtful she dissolved into a stuttering mess and ran away, reaching her home in record time. She gave a halfhearted wave to her mother who was managing the register and made her way upstairs, Tikki greeting her at the top, following her to her room.

Marinette turned on some music and opened her textbook, letting out a sigh. "I don't know what to do, Tikki. When I tried to confess after school today I just dissolved into a stuttering mess. I'm hopeless."

Tikki let out a whine and nudged her head under Marinette's hand, causing her owner to scratch her behind her ears. "Thanks, Tikki. I'm not completely useless without you." She rolled her shoulders back and abandoned her textbook. "Why don't we go for a walk? I think we both need to get out for a little while."

Marinette strapped Tikki's leash on and headed outside, deciding to visit the Eiffle Tower and come back. She lead Tikki down the route, feeling an odd sensation whilst walking, like someone was following her. She turned to look over her shoulder and didn't see anyone. She let out a shiver and continued to walk, high alert the entire time. "I must be going crazy," she muttered to herself in an attempt to calm down. She saw a few of her classmates and waved hi to them, hoping they would be able to point out if something seemed off. They just waved back with cheery smiles. "See, nothing's wrong. Everything is okay." She gave her companion a comforting pat, not that Tikki needed it. The dog seemed oblivious to any signs of danger. "That's a good thing."

The sound of crunching leaves behind her startled her, causing Marinette to jump out of her skin and face the person. "Woah, calm down."

Marinette let out a sigh of relief to see it was just Lila, a sentence she thought she'd never say. She wasn't a fan of the beautiful chestnut haired student. She assured herself jealousy wasn't the reason she disliked the Italian exchange student, but rather her abrasive personality and the way she treated others, but deep down knew her dislike originally stemmed from jealousy. "Hi, um, Lila."

The girl crossed her arms and offered an innocent smile. "Is this your dog?" she asked. "She's pretty cute." She crouched down so she was at Tikki's level. "Mind if I pet her?"

"N-not at all." She watched, amazed as Lila stroked the black and white creature, Tikki happily accepting the pets given to her. Usually the dog was more reserved and a good judge of character, wary of those she deemed dangerous. Apparently Lila was among the safe ones. _Traitor,_ Marinette thought. "So what are you doing out here, Lila?"

She looked up at Marinette, giving her an innocent look. "Oh, I was just looking for someone. There was a rumor that he would be here in the park today but I guess I was mistaken."

Marinette smiled internally, knowing exactly who she was referring to, knowing his photo shoot wasn't here until tomorrow. "Well, maybe he'll come around later?"

Lila shook her head. "No, I doubt it. I'll check back tomorrow. If nothing else I'm getting a nice walk." She got up and wiped a few broken leaves off of her outfit. "I'll see you tomorrow at school, Marinette." She turned around and sauntered off, a hand on her hip, body swaying lightly as if with the breeze.

Marinette completed her walk confused by her encounter with Lila. She rarely talked to the girl, and the rare times they did speak it was nothing but double meanings and disagreements. Nothing was ever civil between the two of them. She went up to her room, releasing Tikki from her lead, and started to study, making an attempt to understand some of the sciences, failing miserably. She'd have to ask for help before the assignment was due. She had a few more days to complete it.

A low growl suddenly emulated from Tikki, something that worried Marinette. "What is it?" Tikki went to scratch on the ladder leading to the balcony. Marinette opened the door for Tikki and she sniffed around, investigating until she found a box, relaxing when she saw no one was up there. "That's weird." Marinette picked up the box and went back down and opened the box nearly dropping what she saw.

Inside the box was a doll she had made nearly a year ago. She was modeled after herself. She had made one of these dolls for all her female classmates, giving them out for Christmas. They were made of material she had selected for each of them, filled with cotton, akin to a plush toy. What disturbed her was that it was _her_ doll, stabbed with straight pins, like the ones she would use in her sewing. There were two in each eye, three on each hand, four on each foot, and five where the doll's heart would have been. She took the pins out of the doll, her hands shaking as she did so, placing each of the pins on her desk before carefully disposing of them, not wanting to have anything to do with them. She dared look in the box one more time and saw an envelope. Her breath caught in her throat as she opened it, attempting to remain calm as she read the words.

 _Marinette,_

 _This could be you._

She ripped up the note and placed the pieces in the trash with the straight pins, clutching the doll tight to her chest, tears starting to fill her eyes. What did she do to deserve this?

* * *

 _Thank you all so much for reading, and thanks to those of you who favorited, followed and a huge thanks to those of you who reviewed! It really means a lot to me!_


	7. Chapter Six

_Alright everyone, the missing emails went out today… for some reason? Here is the update for October 24th. Yesterday's email went out a bit late for some reason so make sure you read yesterdays chapter before todays! Hopefully this glitch is fixed now._

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Chapter Six

Lunchtime and Nino was trying to get in some last minute studying in the library, which was fine, but it left Adrien alone in the courtyard. He opened his copy of William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar and read over the pages, getting lost in the assassination scene of the ruler, the feelings of betrayal portrayed on the pages. He had to read and dissect the play, giving every scene meaning and write an essay on the morality, comparing it to a modern movie or book. The assignment wasn't due for another month but he wanted to get started. He was at a loss on what to do. They had all drawn Shakespearian plays out of a bag and Adrien had wanted Romeo and Juliet. It was, admittedly, one of his favorite movies and it would be easy to connect the play to a modern day movie, seeing as _every tragic love story_ seemed to be inspired by this one. Nino had drawn Hamlet, another easy choice. Nino could connect it to nearly any movie about teenage angst or the Lion King if he needed to. Vaguely he wondered what play Marinette had drawn.

Mark Antony was just about to go into a monologue over Caesar's dead body when he heard sniffing from a few feet away. He looked up and saw a girl leaning against a wall, knees pulled up to her chest, book open on the ground in an attempt to masquerade her sadness. It seemed to be working as no one spared her a single glance. Adrien walked over to her with a gentle smile. "Hey, Mari, you okay?"

She looked up and her bright blue eyes looked washed out, red rimmed and watery. "Hey, what's wrong?"

She just shoved her book closer to him. She had drawn it. Romeo and Juliet. He took a seat next to her. "Why are you crying? We all know how this ends." He moved himself closer to her so their arms were touching lightly. "The play ends with peace. They unite their families."

She shook her head. "That's not all there is to it, though! They don't have a happy ending. Romeo and Juliet are cursed." She let out a breath and the tears fell. "Tragic love story, huh?"

He closed her book and took her hand in his. Her hand was cold, akin to ice and his hand engulfed hers completely. "Tell me what's wrong, Marinette."

"I-I don't think I should," but they way she spoke, it was obvious she wanted to tell someone what was happening. Adrien didn't know much about Marinette's home life. He heard her mention her family was close, that they owned a bakery. What could have possibly happened there? He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, pressing his face into her hair. She smelled like vanilla, but it was like the scent was covering up something else he couldn't identify. He let her cry into his shoulder and he rubbed her back as she did so until her crying dissolved into small hiccups and shaky breaths. He pulled away but continued to hold her hand, drawing little circles into her hand in an attempt to keep her calm.

"Do you want to tell me what's bothering you?" Even Shakespeare's romantic tragedy shouldn't produce tears as violent as the one Marinette had produced. Something else was going on.

"Have you ever been bullied, Adrien?"

He looked at her in shock. "Is someone bullying you?"

"I had a doll I modeled to look like me. She- she took it and stabbed it. She stabbed it in the hands, the feet. She stabbed it in the eyes. She stabbed it in the heart... and she left a note saying this could be me." She let out a bitter laugh and somehow that stung Adrien more than the tears. "I- I doubt that event will ever be something I get over."

"How could someone do that?" He brought Marinette's hand to his lips and gave it a comforting kiss. "Do you know who did it?" An image of Chole flashed in his head, but he doubted the blonde girl would stoop so low. She was mean and obsessed with him but she wasn't cruel. He couldn't imagine her doing anything like that.

"I- I can't say. I doubt you'd believe me."

He would have been offended if she didn't look so lost. Why wouldn't he believe her? She had obviously been hurt. He knew the girl wouldn't make up something like that. "Why wouldn't I believe you?"

She licked her lips and look up at him. "You don't believe in ghosts, do you Adrien?"

"Not really, unless I'm trying to get Chloe off my back. Then I share Nino's story." He let out a humorless chuckle in an attempt to figure out what was going on. "You don't think a ghost did this, do you?"

She shook her head. "No, she's not a ghost," she loosened her grip on his hand, which just caused him to hold on tighter, "but she might as well be."

"I don't know what you mean."

"She's dead to me." Marinette deadpanned, looking blankly off into the distance. He had never seen the happy girl look so... empty. It looked wrong and he wanted nothing more than to lift her spirits.

"Why was she targeting you?"

"We liked the same guy."

His breath caught in his throat. They liked the same guy? Was it possible that the guy was him? Was all of this his fault? He looked at Marinette and knew what his feelings for her were from the stirring in his heart. He stood and and took her by the hand leading her away from the eyes of their peers who were looking at them strangely. He took her just outside the school, underneath one of the trees whose leaves were starting to turn bright shades of red and yellow. The leaves fell lightly around them and he looked the wide eyed girl in the eyes. "Marinette I-" he took a deep breath and gave her a smile. "I like you. I want to be more than friends with you."

A light blush spread to her cheeks and he noticed her glimpse down at the ground. "I- I like you too, Adrien."

"Go on a date with me?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I'd like that."

"Good. I'll bring us lunch tomorrow. Lunch and study date? It's not much of a first date but I'd honestly like to do something with you sooner rather than later." He felt embarrassed and brought his hand to the back of his neck, rubbing it nervously.

"That sounds great." He let out a sigh. Everything, at least for this moment, was perfect.

* * *

 _Thank y'all so much for reading! We're about halfway there! It's crazy! There's only a week left! I hope y'all enjoyed. A special thanks to those of you who favorited and followed and a very special thanks to those of you who reviewed! It really helps me out. Remember to vote on my poll and tell me if you believe in ghosts or not, or tell me in your review if you believe if you can't access the poll. See y'all tomorrow!_


	8. Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

What was it like to swim through the stars? What was it like to float on a cloud? It would have to feel like this, wouldn't it? She had been in his company all day without spontaneously combusting. The butterflies that were in her stomach didn't burst out and swarm the school. He had looked at her, and somehow she thought it was possible he looked and saw the real her, not the one she pretended to be. She always felt overshadowed in life. She felt like he could be the one to change that. She grabbed her textbooks and sprinted home that day, smile on her face.

Maybe she should bring him something for him tomorrow? The macrons at the bakery were delicious. A vanilla or pistachio one would be nice. She had overheard that green was his favorite color, so a green macron would be appropriate. They had recently been experimenting with almond croissants in the bakery and they were one of their best sellers. She would grab him one of those as well. Macron, croissant, something to wash it down? Perhaps sparkling apple cider? A hot drink wouldn't be able to hold until lunch. She sighed in happiness, rounding the corner to her house, hearing footsteps of someone behind her trying to come in as well. She held the door open for the dark haired girl behind her then rushed up the stairs, ready to tackle her literature homework, obsessively flipping through the pages in an attempt to absorb something presented to her through the Shakespearian pages before her eyes landed on one line. "The course of true love never did run smooth," she read aloud, her thoughts fluttering back to the events of the previous night. She looked at the doll staring at her from its place on her desk. Its gaze was once cute and comforting, now it was soulless and followed her every movement. The doll she was once so proud of turned into a creation she wished she never made.

She went to the corner of her room and picked up her phone, dialing a number, praying Alya would pick up. She hadn't been able to recently, but she knew the number for the landline in the hotel she was staying at. It seemed to be one of her rare lucky days as the phone was fetched off of the receiver. "Hello?" she heard in the other end. The voice caused her smile to come back full force.

"Alya?"

"Hey, girl! How's life in Paris without me?"

Marinette sat down on her chair, letting out a sigh. "I miss you," she said. "When do you get back?"

"I'm going to be another three days. You haven't done anything dumb, have you?" Alya's voice, though lighthearted, was accusatory nonetheless. She wanted what was best for her best friend.

"Only a couple stupid things. I think. I have a study date coming up." Alya must have been drinking something because a moment later she heard choking, sputtering, coughing and gasping for breath. "Are you okay?"

"You mean you actually managed to ask Mr. Perfect on a date? And he said yes?"

She found herself nodding though she knew Alya wouldn't actually be able to see her doing so. "Sort of. It's complicated. It didn't exactly go like I planned but it happened! I'll just fix all the misunderstandings when we have our date."

"What do you mean misunderstandings?"

"I said I did a couple of stupid things. It's me. You can't expect me to suddenly transform into this perfect princess when you go away. I'm still a shy, stuttering mess."

She could hear an exhale of breath on the other end of the line, signifying a smirk. She could imagine Alya rolling her eyes at her words. "Fair."

"Alya?" Marinette found herself eyeing the doll, a cold sweat beginning to break out. She felt so stupid for being afraid of one of her creations, but after she pulled the pins out and finished crying she looked at it and it looked so... dead. Like it wanted her dead. "Alya, I think someone is targeting me."

Alya went silent for a moment before responding in a low voice. "What?"

"Yesterday someone grabbed that doll I made of myself, like the ones I gave you and the other girls last Christmas, and stabbed it with a bunch of pins and threw it on my balcony. They left a note saying that I could end up like that. Another time someone left a note in my literature textbook, telling me to back off. He's mine."

"Is it a prank?"

"I- I don't know. It's starting to scare me. I can't even look at that doll now without mildly freaking out."

A comforting, sincere tone came over Alya's voice. "The moment I get back we'll find out who's doing this. Someone's probably jealous of you."

"Alright, thanks Alya." She looked at the time and sighed. "I should probably go. I have homework and you need to get back to London. Bring me back something, okay?"

"Have fun doing homework. I've gotten you so many souvenirs. You should be excited. Bye, girl!"

"Bye." Marinette hung up the phone and let out a sigh, going back to her desk to pour over pages and pages of centuries old text that still found itself to be relevant in modern society.

It was approaching dinner when there was a knock on her door. "Come in," she called.

The trap door to her room opened and in sauntered Lila. "I heard you have a date coming up," she said.

"I- uh, yeah."

Lila put a hand on Marinette's shoulder. "I'm telling you this as a friend," her face was deadly serious, scary even. "You need to back off. You're going to get hurt if you don't."

"Is that all?" she asked timidly.

Lila nodded. "Yeah. Don't say no one warned you, Mari. You've got to watch yourself. You're going down a dangerous road."

Just as suddenly as Lila appeared, she disappeared, leaving Marinette a trembling, mess. She didn't sleep that night, too afraid to move from the safe spot she had created for herself.

* * *

 _Less than a week, guys! Thank you all so much for your support! I hope y'all are enjoying reading this as much as I am writing it. Thank you to all of you who favorited and followed, and a special thanks to those of you who reviewed. It really means a lot and helps me out. Remember to vote on my poll! I'll see y'all tomorrow!_


	9. Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

Lunch couldn't come fast enough for Adrien. He wanted nothing more than to sit with Marinette and talk lazily with her, discussing the ins and outs of physics or literature, or talking about something easier, like the weather or her favorite color. He kept glancing back at her, trying to read her features. She had sparkling blue eyes, color so deep he could swim in them. He could get lost in those eyes for hours. Her dark hair seemed to shine, reflecting light off of her dark stands, illuminating her, making her seem like she was almost glowing. A dusting of freckles along the bridge of her nose made her seem like a real person, and not some perfect, beautiful girl he had just created. He adored each one of those freckles. They proved to him she was real. Still, behind the blue eyes, dark hair and freckles there was something innately sad about her. He hadn't realized it when he had first noticed her. She was his smiling classmate, the one who wouldn't speak up in class but would know about everyone, genuinely caring about their wellbeing. What made her so nice? How could someone bully someone like her?

He kept and eye out over the course of the morning, looking to see if anyone approached Marinette with the slightest look of displeasure on they face, but none did. Everyone went about their mornings as normal. No one targeted her.

 _"_ _It must be the ghost,"_ he thought to himself jokingly. If a ghost roamed the halls of the school then they wouldn't target her. Unless the legend of the ghost was true and he really was being targeted by some spirit. He shook his head. That wasn't possible. There was no way a ghost would come after him. The stunt in the hallway with the fake blood proved it to him. A ghost wouldn't use something fake when they could get the real deal.

Adrien went through his head, trying to think of all the girls in school who could possibly have crushes on him. His mind immediately went to Chloe, but he quickly dismissed her again. She just wasn't capable of this.

The other girls, though? He was a teen model and the only heir to the Agreste fashion empire. It wasn't vain of him to think there were other girls with their sights set on him. It was something he grew up knowing, a fact he had accepted long ago. Perhaps that's why he liked Marinette. She didn't seem to care that he was rich and destined to be powerful. She saw him as another person. That's all they were together, two people in a screwed up world.

Screwed up? It was screwed up someone was after her. From the way she spoke it seemed like she knew who was doing this to her. He didn't want to think the worst of Marinette's friends but it would have to be one of them, wouldn't it? Marientte said she was dead to her. They weren't friends anymore. Maybe he could get her to talk about it during their lunch date.

He dismissed the idea as soon as he thought of it. Why bring such dismal conversation into what is supposed to be a joyful affair? Sure, they're just eating lunch and studying, but he's eating lunch and studying with _her._ Frankly, he wouldn't mind doing that for the rest of eternity as long as Marinette was by his side.

What was wrong with him? He was ready to have a bold thought like that when they weren't even boyfriend and girlfriend? He had to be insane. Still, his father had told him when he was younger that if he found the one to hold her and to never let her go. Was Marinette the one? Was she the one he was destined to spend the rest of his life with?

The sound of the lunch bell pulled him out of his thoughts and he found himself blushing bright red. He had years before he had to think of anything like this. Years and years. If Marinette was the one he was destined to be with then good for them. If not then he would find her in the future. He would just take this first date one step at a time. Baby steps. He looked around the room for her, seeing her figure disappear through the door. He followed after her, excited to meet her in the courtyard. He had his chef make them lunches, his favorite sandwiches. Marinette sat waiting for him, her eyes downcast, flipping through the pages of a fashion magazine, one which he was the cover of. "Hey, Marinette."

She jumped when she saw him, blushing before a smile came on her face. "Hey, Adrien." She put the magazine down and he came and sat beside her, opening the lunch bag, passing her a sandwich and sparkling apple cider before taking a sandwich of his own.

He started to eat happily, savoring the taste of the chicken and pesto combination. They spoke about nonsense but it made him happy. They were laughing, though he noticed the smile never quite reached her eyes. She hadn't taken a bite of her food. "Are you okay, Mari?"

She shook her head. "No, I'm fine. I'm just not hungry is all." She rolled up the sandwich back in its packaging and placed it in her bag. "I'll eat it later, okay?"

He didn't know what to say, but he didn't believe her. "Did she bully you again?"

"No, it's not that. No one did anything." She let out a sigh. "I'm just not sure this will be worth it in the end. For you, I mean."

His voice caught in his throat. "What do you mean?"

"I- I'm not good for you, Adrien. You're too nice to be involved with someone like me. I'm only going to cause you pain." Her eyes flittered to the abandoned magazine on the floor. "I only ever cause pain."

"Do you truly believe that?"

She nodded. "Yeah. I do."

There was no time for her to react as a powerful, longing kiss was placed on her lips. She could feel him clinging to her, pressing everyone of his emotions, everything he felt into the kiss. When he finally pulled away he was smiling. "Marinette, you don't bring pain. You make me the happiest I've been in years."

She rested her head on his shoulder, taking his hand in hers. She finally had a light back in her eyes. This made him smile.

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 _Thank you all for your support! It real means a lot. I'll see y'all tomorrow!_


	10. Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

Sleep was comforting. It was escape from the hell that had somehow been created around her. She had no idea why she was the one being targeted. It wasn't fair! There was no shortage of girls that were obsessed with him. She wasn't the only one who had all of his magazines and posters plastered on her wall. She knew this for a fact. She's gone with others to purchase said magazines from the bookstore, taking turns hanging the posters on their walls, admiring they handiwork. It was getting ridiculous how far people would go to threaten her. That's why she welcomed sleep. She welcomed the dark escape from the world created around her.

In her dreams the two of them would walk hand in hand on the beach, gazing into each other's eyes. He would tell a joke and she would let out a nervous laugh. He would push her hair back and call her beautiful. She would blush and tell him to stop flattering her. He would refuse and shoot back a million more compliments. This was the world she had wanted to create with him. This was the world that was evading her.

Waking up was always strange. She would latch onto the final moments of beauty in the dreams, wishing they would last just a moment longer before hell crashed back down around her. She would climb out of bed and go through her morning routine of brushing her teeth, brushing her hair before making the frizzy mess into two pristine pigtails. She would change out of her pajamas, carefully folding the articles of clothing before changing into whatever outfit she seemed appropriate for the day, then going to apply a minuscule amount of makeup, just enough to make her lips shine and her eyes pop, before grabbing her school and bag and going to school. This morning was different. She grabbed her schoolbag and a little note fluttered down.

The paper was pastel pink and the words were in beautiful cursive. There was a little heart and flower pattern printed on the side, embroidering the paper. The note would look almost beautiful, perfect for a love note, if it weren't for the words. Three little words that made Marinette freeze in her tracks, ruining whatever illusion of peace she had going into the day.

 _I warned you._

There was no signature. Just three neatly written words in pristine black ink. Was Lila the one doing this to her? She was the only one who had said things to Marinette. What if she confronted her at school? Her heart pounded violently in her chest, palpitations coming faster and harder, her chest hurting, her lungs failing to breathe properly, causing her to have shaky breaths. This time she didn't discard the note. She put it in her bag and calmly walked downstairs, skipping breakfast, merely offering a wave to the two dark haired individuals happily enjoying their meal, oblivious to the inner turmoil going on with Marinette. She exited the bakery with simply a wave to her father, promising to see him soon.

She had to hold in her fear. She couldn't let it consume her. She would confront Lila, make her admit to what she was doing and ask her why she was doing it. The wind picked up, threatening to blow Marinette over. She wanted to be swept away with the wind. She wanted it to take her somewhere far away so she'd never have to face this again. She'd be free to be happy.

Lila was known to hang out up the stairs with full view of the courtyard before classes started, so that's where she would go. And go. And go. And not find her. She searched, asked around, hoping someone had seen the chestnut beauty. She wasn't here yet. They hadn't seen her. They hadn't heard anything. Different excuses from different people. Marinette retired to a bench, opening her bag and looking at the note. Why was Lila doing this? She was beautiful enough. As much as it pained her to think, it wouldn't be hard for her to to steal the young model away. She could flip her and and offer a flirtatious smile and that would be all it took. He would follow her to the ends of the earth. That's what the other boys at school said at least.

Left in her loneliness she started to think, which is something someone who has nearly lost hope should never do. She wondered about her love story. Would it have a happy end? Would she end up like Cinderella and end up with her prince, leaving those who wronged her in the dust, looking on enviously, wishing they could have what she had? Or would she have a tragic love story? Would her and her true love be parted by something that they were unable to overcome? That _she_ was unable to overcome. Would they be Romeo and Juliet? Hamlet or Ophelia? She let out a sniff and dug her head into her literature study knowing full well she needed to stop reading when she was unable to focus. It would hurt her grade in the long run. She wanted to pull out her sketch pad and draw, design until all the pages were filled with beautiful dresses and extravagant designs, bright colors blossoming all over the pages, but she couldn't. Sketching seemed to lose its appeal when she thought about her own personal hell. That hurt. That's how she knew she was hurt. Her passion was lost.

She closed her book and pulled out the paper, grabbing a pen and angrily scratching out the words, erasing the threat from existence. She refused to let them have the best of her. She refused to be a victim. She wouldn't let anyone else control her love life. Her life was hers, and hers alone. She would be happy. She would attain her beloved's heart completely. No one would stop her. She wouldn't let Lila come between her and him any longer. This was it. She would be happy.

She left the note on the bench, everything scratched out except for a small smiley face she had drawn, but the way the ink had smeared that happy little face looked like it was crying.

* * *

 _Thank y'all so much for all your support! It really means a lot to me! I love hearing all of your thoughts! Remember to go vote on my poll and I'll see y'all tomorrow!_


	11. Chapter Ten

_Make sure to check out ye_ _sterday's update before today's! Because of what time I updated the story didn't come on the feed like usual. Sorry!_

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Chapter Ten

To Adrien it was beautiful, the day. He wouldn't call himself a morning person, not that her disliked mornings, but this morning he woke up early with a large smile on his face that he didn't anticipate disappearing anytime soon. He had a hard time going to bed the night before, excited about what had transpired between him and Marinette the day before, still relishing in the feeling of her lips on his. He was finally able to feel happy about something. Genuinely happy. Not the fake smile he used throughout most of the day to satisfy his father. He thought about the conversation that transpired after they kissed, the one where he asked if she was interested in being his girlfriend, the conversation where she said yes. It made his heart pound wildly in his chest whenever he thought about it.

He took extra care in picking out his clothes that morning, wanting to look his absolute best for Marinette. He wanted to make the dreaming fashionista proud of his accomplishment with fashion. He wasn't his father when it came to putting an outfit together, but he could use his father's ideas as inspiration. He went to the shelf where he housed all his magazines, taking out the hidden ones where he was on the cover. He only kept the magazines to appease his father, never thinking they would be useful. He grabbed a pair of olive colored jeans and a white long sleeve with a black emblem printed on the chest, vaguely remembering the photo shoot where he had to where this outfit. He didn't hate modeling, just didn't particularly enjoy it. If he modeled Marinette's designs... he'd be happy to model for her.

The problem with waking up early was he had to wait for everyone else before he could do anything. He had finished his morning routine hours before breakfast would be ready, leaving him to wander around his room and look for something to do. Luckily there was no shortage of things to do in his room. He climbed the rock wall, played a bit of basketball, and forced Plagg to love him before eventually sitting down to play some video games, trying his hand at Ultimate Mecha Strike until he was called down for breakfast.

It was a rare day when his father joined him for breakfast and today was one of those rare days. The two didn't really talk when they did have breakfast together, his father usually reading the newspaper while Adrien ate in perfect silence, only speaking when spoken too, but that didn't make him sad today. He ate bites between smiles and blissful sighs, his father noticing. "Any reason you're so happy today?"

A bit of pink spread to Adrien's cheeks, but he responded the same. "I, uh, have a girlfriend now, father."

His father put down his newspaper and gave his son his undivided attention. "A girlfriend? Tell me about her."

"Well, her name's Marinette. She's quiet, but really kind. She's got this design notebook she's filled with amazing designs, but she's never once asked to show them to me. She likes to think the best of people even when she's upset. She's amazing." He took another bite of his food, glancing at his father, looking for approval.

"Well, I'll have to meet this Marinette soon, but she sounds nice." An unreadable expression crossed Gabriel's face, but Adrien didn't notice it, finishing his meal so he could go see her at school, hoping she wasn't late today so he could talk to her.

Adrien got to school and was amazed to see Marinette sitting on a bench, waiting for him, not coming to school last minute. She had a gentle smile on her face. He went to sit next to her, taking her hand in his. She had a textbook open on her lap, physics. "You need any help?"

She nodded. "Yeah, that would be great, actually. I could study this for decades and still not understand."

"Well, some people are just more science oriented than others. What are you having trouble with?" The two worked on her homework in the early morning before school while students still half asleep trickled in, ready for their classes.

When they had finished her homework she got up and stretched. "I'm going to run to the restroom real quick. I'll be right back." She placed a kiss on his cheek and his goofy grin grew bigger and goofier. He watched her walk off, giving her a wave as he did so. She giggled, tripped over a crack in the sidewalk, then sprang back up, pretending nothing happened before disappearing around the corner.

Adrien opened his textbook and read Julius Caesar to kill some time, still having a hard time comprehending what was going on. Caesar's ghost was haunting Brutus in this scene and Adrien's mind idly wandered away, thinking about the legend of the ghost. Where did the legend originate? He didn't doubt a girl died, but had people really seen her around?

He didn't believe in ghosts, but if one happened to exist here that would be sad for her. She must be lonely. What was it like to be rejected by the one she loved? He thought about Marinette, knowing he would be heartbroken if she suddenly decided that he wasn't good enough with no explanation.

"Adrien! Hey bro!" He was pulled away fro his thoughts by Nino calling for him.

"Hey!" he greeted back, the smile from before returning to his face.

"Dude, whats with the grin?" Nino sat down beside Adrien giving him a smirk. "You loo like an idiot."

"Well, maybe it's because I was hanging out with my girlfriend before you got here."

Nino's jaw dropped, not realizing his best friend had been romantically pursuing a girl. "Dude! Who?" He paused, a mildly horrified look crossing his face, "Please don't tell me it's Chloe."

Adrien let out a laugh. "No, it's Marinette."

Nino looked a Adrien for a moment, putting the words together in his head before speaking. "Who's Marinette?"

* * *

 _Thank y'all so much for reading and supporting! Let me know what y'all think and I'll see y'all tomorrow!_


	12. Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven

When Marinette saw this note she froze in her tracks, afraid to see what had been written. She didn't want be be assaulted with threatening messages anymore. To her relief it wasn't threatening. The opposite really. Written simply on notebook paper, folded in half and placed gently in her bag.

 _Meet me at the garden on the roof immediately after school._

 _Felix._

Butterflies erupted in her stomach, sending her into a nervous frenzy. Felix wanted to meet her. She had managed to ask him to study with her and he had said he'd get back to her. Was this his way of doing so? Asking to meet her on the roof? She waited for the end of the school day to come, all the mean notes forgotten. Why would Felix ask her to the roof? There was only one reason anyone went up there. She would have to tell Alya as soon as she got home. The roof would have to come first.

After school she ran to the roof, excited to see Felix, surprised when he wasn't up there. It was a beautiful blonde haired green eyed girl she recognized as Gabriel Agreste's girlfriend, a year above her in school. She thinks her name is Ariel. "Excuse me, are you the girl who was supposed to meet Felix?" A look of annoyance was on her face, her arms crossed over her chest in a standoffish position.

"Um, yes. Can I help you?"

Ariel nodded. "Yeah. He changed his mind. He doesn't want to spend the day tutoring you." A smirk was placed on her lips and she started to berate the poor girl again. "There's better things he could be doing. He's the top student in his class, a model, star of the fencing team. Between you and me, why would he like someone like you when he could have anyone her wanted?"

Each word was a stab to the heart to Marinette. She hung her head down, not wanting Ariel to see her cry. "W-why did he suddenly change his mind? Or ask me to meet up here?"

That cruel smirk was still on Ariel's face. "Really? He asked you up here because it was the furthest place from the door. He could leave without worrying about you following him. He said you're an annoying, ugly, talentless, good-for-nothing, clumsy little wannabe who he pities because he, and I'm quoting him directly here, she'll never be good enough for anything in life."

She couldn't hold back the tears anymore and her legs gave out beneath her, causing her to sink low to the ground. "Why would he tell you this?" She was trying to make sense of what had happened. Was she really all the things the girl had said? Why did he tell _her_ of all people? "Why?"

"Why?" Ariel crouched down so she was eye level with Marinette. "Honey, I'm his sister. Surely you couldn't have been so self-absorbed? Did you not realize he had one? Your ego must be bigger than I thought." With that Ariel got up and sauntered away, leaving Marinette to cry. She walked over to the staircase where Bridgette Dupain-Cheng, Marinette's identical twin sister stood waiting.

"Do you think she bought it?"

"Oh yeah. She's not going to recover from that in this lifetime." Bridgette passed Ariel twenty euros and thanked her for destroying the only person that stood between her anf Felix.

She didn't always hate her sister but when they both fell hard for the blonde boy they became estranged. They didn't talk anymore, hardly acknowledging one another's existence. She would play the good sister for one last time then Felix would be hers.

The tears wouldn't stop falling. She knew nothing about Felix! She didn't realize he had an older sister. "I'm a total narcissist. I'm horrible." She sat on the ledge of the school, her feet dangling off the roof. Sitting in high places always calmed her. There was a part of her that knew if she fell that no one would really miss her. Her parents would be upset but they would still have Bridgette. Alya would cry, but she wouldn't let something like someone's death stop her from living life. She and Bridgette hardly talked anymore... she knew people would get over her death if she decided, but she knew she wouldn't. She had so much she wanted to do. This was just a bump in the road.

"Marinette?" The girl looked over her shoulder and saw Bridgette standing there, concern on her face. "What's wrong?"

"I- I was rejected."

Bridgette came and sat down next to her sister. "I'm sorry, hun." She pulled her in for a hug, letting her legs dangle off the side of the building as well. She rubbed circles in her sister's back in what was a comforting gesture before pulling away and looking Marinette directly in the eyes. "I'm sorry, Marinette. I didn't want it to come to this but," Bridgette gave her sister one last smile, "I love Felix more than anything in the world. I won't let anyone come between us, even you," and Bridgette pushed Marinette over before Marinette could even fathom what happened.

For a moment Marinette thought she was fine. Angry and heartbroken, but fine. She got up and walked around, looking for someone to tell about Bridgette's conspiracies. The first person she saw was Felix. She wanted to hide from him, but he started walking towards her, horror on his stoic face. "He must really hate me if I cause that kind of response."

"That's Bridgette, isn't it?" He continued towards her. Marinette moved out of the way, expecting his eyes to follow. "Or Marinette?" Then Marinette saw what he was looking at. Her body. It was on the ground, broken. Dead.

The next few days the school was filled with police trying to put together what happened before it was eventually determined she had committed suicide. Everyone was comforting Bridgette like she was the victim, not knowing she was the reason this happened. Lila apologized to Marinette all the time, wishing she had done more, refusing to pity her sister. Alya was distraught, not knowing what to do, constantly investigating what lead up to her friend's death. Eventually everyone left though. They moved on leaving Marinette alone. Sometimes someone would be able to see her, but mostly she was invisible. She tried to make friends with those that saw her, but they saw her as nothing but an evil spirit, leaving her to wander the school alone.

* * *

 _Thank y'all so much for your support! Can't_ _believe we're almost done… let me know what y'all think and remember to vote on my poll!_


	13. Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve

"Marinette? She sits right behind us."

Nino shook his head. "Um, no one sits in those seats, dude. They've been empty all year."

That's what sparked Adrien to keep an eye on Marinette as she came back from the restroom, making her way through the courtyard, watching her and how she interacted with others. She didn't. No one looked at her. No one saw her. She looked at the others longingly but they didn't notice.

"Are you okay?"

Adrien nodded. "Um, yeah. I meant Marinette is a model who sits behind me in a lot of shoots." Adrien felt himself going pale as he watched Marinette give him a bright smile. "Um, I need to go. I'll see you in class, okay, Nino."

He didn't give Nino a chance to respond before running off, grabbing Marinette's wrist and dragging her after him. She seemed to succumb to her fate, following him with no resistance, climbing up stairs until he reached the door that lead to the roof, glancing around to make sure no one was watching, before kicking it down with a powerful kick. Adrien closed the door behind him and sighed, taking a seat on the ground, Marinette doing the same across from him.

"I have some questions."

She nodded. "Yeah, I bet you do." She looked like she was about to cry. Ghost or no he didn't want to see her sad.

He took a deep breath and started to speak. "So, did you know you were dead?"

"Yeah. I've known since I saw my body on the ground." A sad, almost mocking laugh escaped her lips. "I was found by Felix. I was so in love with him and he had to see me like... that. First time he really noticed me and he thought..."

"Can you talk about it? Tell me?" He extended his hand to hers, wanting to take it and comfort her.

"I- I don't know. Everyone just wants to know the story of the ghost girl who killed herself. No one cares what really happened." She looked up into his eyes. "You're the first and I have no idea what to say."

He gave her a kind smile in an attempt to reassure her. "Well, you can start with the truth."

"Okay." Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. "My name was Marinette Dupain-Cheng. I lived in a bakery with my mom, dad, twin sister and dog. I had a best friend named Alya. I fell in love with a guy named Felix, but so did someone else. They kept slipping threatening notes into my bag and into my room. At first I thought it was a girl named Lila, only to find out she was trying to warn me. Keep me from becoming... well, this. I was killed by my twin sister, who loved Felix more than she loved me." She broke eye contact with Adrien and looked down at the ground. "She played the victim and ended up dating him. Last I heard they were married with a kid."

Adrien looked at the girl in front of him. He suspected that if a ghost haunted the school that they would be lonely, but he never imagined falling for that lonely girl. "So all those legends about you luring guys to their deaths were fake?"

She gave a shrug. "I guess. I mean, I never wanted to kill anyone. I just wanted to not be lonely anymore. There's always someone who can see me, so I tend to gravitate towards them. Once they realize I'm dead they freak out. Alix's brother's friend could see me. He found out I was dead right here on this roof and tried to run away from me by jumping. He's lucky Jalil caught him, but I was labeled as a killer from that day on." Her eyes met Adrien's once more and she gave a small smile. "I thought it would be fun to bring the legend to life."

"What do you mean?"

"That blood on that wall? I'm the one who put that there. I mean, it was fake blood, but it did the job. I doubt anyone suspects a ghost really did that." He looked into her eyes and saw a playful look in them, smothered out but begging to come back. "Sorry about writing your name up there. I thought you'd be the one to get the least scared. You didn't believe in ghosts, right?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "I didn't believe in ghosts. Didn't being the operative word there."

She moved herself so she was sitting next to him, her icy hand still holding onto his warm one. "Well, do you believe now?"

He wanted to deny it. His whole life he'd denied their existence, but now one was staring him in the face. He wanted to say no, if for no other reason to have Marinette alive beside him, but the truth was, quite literally, staring him in the face. "Yeah, I do." He pulled her close and began kissing her again. He didn't care what she was. She was the only one who made him feel truly happy. How ironic that he felt the most alive after falling in love with a dead girl. He pulled away and each looked away from one another's eyes in embarrassment, but small smiles gracing their faces. "Can I ask you something?" Adrien questioned after a moment.

"What is it?"

"Do you still love that guy? Felix?"

She shook her head. "No. He left my heart a long time ago."

He took a deep breath. "What about me? Do you love me?"

She nodded. "Yeah. I'm in love with you. I'm more in love with you than I ever thought possible. My heart didn't beat this much when I was alive. Your the only reason I'm not lonely anymore."

He smiled. "I'm glad, because I love you too, Marinette." He looked over to the edge of the roof before standing up, walking over to the edge. "I guess there's only one thing to do now."

Her eyes widened and she stood up, following Adrien. "What are you doing?"

He stepped on the edge and had a large smile on his face. "I promise you'll never be lonely again."

She shook her head rapidly side to side, hoping her words would stop him.

In the classroom all the lights went out and everyone swore that they could hear a girl screaming "Adrien!" A moment after she did there was a dull thud and everyone went outside, finding the broken body of Adrien Agreste lying on the ground, dead.

* * *

 _Sorry for the late update! I depend on my phone a lot for this particular story and it broke. I got a new one now (iPhone 8 is so cool!) and had to rush to rewrite_ _the chapter. I hope y'all enjoyed it! Tomorrow will be the final update and I think I'll publish it around ten at night Central Time so it'll be a spooky nighttime wrap up for y'all! Today is the last day to vote on my poll! Tomorrow I'll post the results with the update! I'll see y'all tomorrow!_


	14. Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen

When the media announced the death of Adrien Agreste it was announced as a tragedy, an accident that shouldn't have happened. The young man just happened to find his way onto the roof and just happened to fall. It didn't matter what the cameras showed. It didn't matter that it was very apparent that each move was purposeful. It didn't matter that the footage showed Adrien stepping onto the edge of the roof, stepping off, smiling as he did so, no fear or regret in his eyes.

What was strange was the flickering and the static the cameras picked up. It seemed like Adrien was talking to someone before her fell, someone right beside him... Some people said that the poor boy was losing his mind after his mother disappeared. He didn't mean to kill himself. It was an accident. Others guessed there was a ghost.

The words 'Adrien Agreste is Next' became immortalized at the school, everyone talking about how the ghost got him. No one believed Adrien killed himself. Nino became obsessed with finding this ghost, looking for any school history about a girl named Marinette, the only clue Adrien had given him before he died. He didn't have to search long before he found leads. There were newspaper articles about the tragic death of Marinette Dupain-Cheng who seemingly killed herself after she was rejected by a guy she fell in love with. Nino was shocked that the school legend actually had a true origin story. His searching eventually lead him to a reporter named Alya Cesaire who happened to be Marinette's best friend. She told Nino about Marinette as a person and how she suspected Marientte's death was murder, listening to evidence from Alya's classmate, Lila. She reassured Nino that Marinette was a kind person, and even in death, she would be kind to Adrien. She was probably just incredibly lonely.

Eventually Adrien Agreste's death became old news and most everyone forgot about it. Society accepted that the young model would never grow up, and just be a young model forever. The one place that didn't forget was College Francoise Dupont.

Ten years after death of Adrien Agreste students were talking about the pair of ghosts that haunted the school. The story had been twisted over the years and no two retellings were ever the same but there were some things that stayed consistent. The general story everyone seemed to agree on was this: there was a female ghost, one who was incredibly beautiful. She died when she had her heartbroken and jumped off the school roof when she was rejected by some jerk. She then decided she would get her revenge and every year she chose a boy to lure to the roof to kill. It took twenty years but she finally seduced someone, the boy of her dreams, the love of her life, and lured him to the roof, possessing him and causing him to jump off. He now haunts the school, wandering the halls, trying to drive others insane so he's not the only one driven mad by a ghost. They would kill people unless they were appeased.

Of course this story couldn't be further from the truth. Neither Marinette or Adrien tried to kill anyone. They would spend their time guarding the students from more malicious spirits attempting to harm the school. They would sit in class and learn as much as they could. They would read books in the library, pouring over them for hours, discussing what they had read, leaving the books on the tables the next day for the librarian and other students to find. They would hold hands and sit on the roof together, watching the students in the courtyard go about their lives, wondering what they would be when they grew up. They liked it when the students talk about them, laughing at the myths the students had created. At least the myths would lead to their favorite day of the year.

On the last Friday of every October, in an attempt to appease the ghosts that supposedly haunted them, the students would gather on the roof and throw flowers off, getting anemone to signify death, mourning the ghost's lives, red roses since the reasons the ghosts died was because of love, foxglove to dispel evil, and tea rose, to signify they'd never forget the two that died. Once the flowers were gathered the students would go onto the roof and throw the flowers off. The tradition started out with just two or three students, but eventually it became a school sanctioned event. Once the flowers were thrown everyone would go home, no one allowed on campus so the ghosts could pick up the flowers in peace.

Adrien and Marinette would gather the flowers and present their bouquets to one another, smiling as they did so. They both decided being dead wasn't so bad since they got to spend it with the one they loved.

The bouquets would mysteriously appear on two particular desks every year, the one where Marinette had sat as a student, and the one where Adrien sat. The fresh flowers from the day before would be completely dead, dried, like they had been dead for years. Occasionally someone would see two students sitting on a bench in the courtyard, pouring over a Shakespearian textbook from the library. They would turn away one second and look over and see they had disappeared. Sometimes the two would give into the legends, pretending to be the evil ghosts the stories made them out to be, like overturning a desk in the middle of class when someone said something horrible about the other, but they never did anything to harm another. They didn't need another ghost in their halls. They had each other and that's all they needed to be happy for eternity.

"Marinette?" they had the same exchange everyday.

"Yes, Adrien?"

"I love you." He would take her hand in his and kiss it.

She would smile at his words and use her hand to pull him close and give him a kiss on the lips. "I love you, too."

* * *

 _It's done! I can't believe it! 13 (14 days including Friday the 13th) of this challenge to myself! I'm hoping I can do_ _something similar at Christmas, but the idea won't be so last minute so I'm not trying to write a short chapter everyday between work… I hope y'all enjoyed this litter journey we went on! This story had an unusually happy ending for me… most of my horrors on my other account have more tragic endings… Welp!_

 _So here's the results of the poll and the consensus is… we believe in ghosts! Over seventy-five percent of us, actually! Seven believers and two that don't! We all seem to like the scarier things, don't we?_

 _I've got two other stories going on right now, Constellations, which is a soulmate AU which is going on for an indefinite amount of time, or I have Err:LadybugExe which is a SciFi robot AU about love between a man and a robot which had three more updates! If you're interested go check that out! Or y'all can wait until I do the same thing at Christmas! I hope to see y'all soon!_


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